Story of a Man
by sunshinenorcas
Summary: After Leon spoils a somewhat festive night with his 'charming' personality, Sora questions Yuffie about the quiet, brooding man, and so she tells him a story of a world long lost, a beautiful girl named Rinoa, and a man who had called himself Squall once.


Story of a Man

Disclaimer- I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I did?

XD Lets just say that Sora wouldn't be the main character anymore.

Warnings- Language, implied violence, character deaths

Couples- RinoaxSquall

Updates- 7/1l: Fixed some small grammer things.

(A huge thank you to all the readers and reviewers, your kinds words and support are a great help to me, thank you. :) )

The night was young in Traverse Town, or as young as unending darkness could be. There hadn't been a heartless attack in nearly two weeks, and the town was euphoric in its glee. In the first district a dance was going on in the square, full of laughter and music, hands clapping to an irregular beat. The people knew that the peace wouldn't, and couldn't last, but they wanted (and needed) to pretend like every thing was still alright in the worlds.

Sora was not part of the dancing, but he did not mind. Instead, he was curled up in one of the hotel rooms, laughing and talking with Yuffie, Donald and Goofy. Seriousness was a myth in the room; as Sora entertained them of stories from his youth, and Yuffie shared stories of her own misadventures. Even Donald rose to the occasion, using his rod to create mockeries of the heartless that chased each other around the room, making loud squalling noises. Sora clutched his stomach in helpless laughter as a little heartless swiped at a dust ball and squealed in fear as the ball rolled toward it. It was scrambling up Sora's arm and shoulder when Leon swung in through the open window. He had been standing alert on top of the building, watching for even a hint of an attack.

He looked at the group without saying a word, but his disappointment was clear. Donald flicked his staff and the false heartless disappeared with a small 'pop'. Only Yuffie seemed unperturbed by Leon's presence.

"Hi Leon." She said brightly, twisting to look at her partner. "Wanna join us?" she nodded to an empty place beside her and Sora.

Leon gave her a long look before finally answering in a quiet, firm tone. "No thank you," he said, letting just a tiny bit of distaste slip into his voice. Yuffie knew he wasn't exactly fond of the idea of them relaxing, but it was an improvement as opposed to letting Sora near the dance outside when at any moment they could be attacked. It would be dangerous for either Leon or Yuffie to get near him to protect him in the crowd.

Sora could hold his own for certain… but still better safe then sorry.

Yuffie looked over at Sora as Leon climbed back out the window. "Want to go back outside?" she asked blithely, almost hearing Leon's scowl.

Sora shook his head. "No thank you." He shuddered. "I might get asked to dance again."

Yuffie snorted her drink back into its cup. "Why's that a bad thing?"

"She was old!"

"…And?"

Sora gave her a pleading look. "You don't understand… She was olddddddd!" Sora stretched his arms to the limit and flailed slightly, before falling over sideways onto his side as Yuffie laughed at his antics. Leon gave a sigh of disgust and almost slammed the window shut as he climbed out. Sora sat up as they heard the heavy tread of his boots as he climbed back on top to his perch.

The room was silent until Goofy said softly, "Gawrsh…"

Sora looked at Yuffie who was staring at the ceiling with a sad expression.

"Is something wrong with Leon…?" he asked slowly.

Yuffie shook her head. "No, he just tends to get more charming around dances, and festivals like this."

"Why?"

Yuffie's answer was slow, as if she had to think carefully to best phrase it. "He doesn't like them… they remind him too much of what he's lost." She looked away to the window. "What we all lost."

Sora knew she was talking about the destruction of her world; he reached out and hesitantly touched her arm. She smiled at him.

"Thanks," She said, looking back to the window, lost in whatever thoughts she had.

Sora was quiet for a bit, before hesitantly saying, "What… did happen?"

"Huh?" Yuffie looked back at him.

"What happened on…" He grasped for a name. "Your world?"

Yuffie's smile was sad. "Ciel. It was called Ciel. It was full of grandeur and life before…"

"The heartless?" Sora put in.

Yuffie nodded. "Yes. They destroyed everything we knew. And in Squall's," She made a face as she corrected herself," Sorry, in LEON'S case what they took away from him is beyond salvaging. The only things he has left now are the memories of those days, and the pain he feels for not being able to save them." Yuffie stopped and looked at Sora. "And it fill's him with the drive not to let anything of that scale happen to anyone else." She gripped Sora's arm. "Don't let Squall's coldness bother you. He really does have your, and all of our, best interest's at heart. He just isn't that much of a people person."

Sora grinned. "I noticed." He said as Yuffie stood and stretched. "Hey Yuffie?"

She looked down at Sora. "Hey Sora?"

Sora paused, trying to think of how to best put his question. "Leon's real name is Squall right? Why does he call himself Leon?"

Yuffie sighed and sat back down. "I think it has to do with that loss. He wants to…" she groped for the right words to describe it. "Distance himself I suppose, from the person he had been, and the person, in his eyes, who lost everything."

"What did he lose…?" Sora leaned down to look at Yuffie who was staring at the floor.

Yuffie whispered a name so quietly that Sora nearly missed it. "_Rinoa…_ "

"Huh? Who was she?" Sora asked.

Yuffie got up and crossed the room to where she and Leon had dropped their belongings. She dug around in a pack Sora knew to be Leon's until she came up holding a small photograph that had been buried at the bottom of the bag. She came back over and handed it to him. "Don't tell him I showed you this, or he'll kill me. He doesn't even know I've seen it."

"And how did you see it?" Sora asked before looking at the photograph. It was of two people, a girl and a boy. The girl had long dark hair, highlighted caramel near the front, and black eyes. Her smile was kind and her expression sweet as she waved to the camera, her blue robe caught in an invisible breeze. She had her hand on the young man's elbow, obviously turning his attention to the camera. He looked rather surprised and serious, his expression guarded in his cold blue eyes, his mouth a small 'o'.

Sora looked at the picture closer. _Hang on…_ He knew that face….

He gasped when it finally clicked. _Leon._

But it was almost unrecognizable. The Leon captured in the picture looked so much younger, his face wasn't as careworn or tired, his body not as rugged. If not for his trademark scar, Sora would have dismissed the possibility that the boy he saw could be the man he knew as Leon.

"When was this taken?" he asked Yuffie, mesmerized by the image before him.

Yuffie smiled. "I'm not sure exactly. Ten years ago at least, it was far before I met him."

"Who's the girl? He looks almost… happy with her."

"That's Rinoa, he doesn't talk about her much." Said Yuffie quietly.

"…What happened to her?" Sora looked up at the ninja. She sighed again and sat down next to him, taking the picture in her hands and running her fingers over it. She studied it carefully before slowly beginning to talk, quiet at first, but picking up strength as she went along.

"It happened when we were fleeing Ciel…"

_The high, piercing shriek of the countdown cut above all the chaos and noise of the huge air ship, each number being punctuated by a high squalling beep. Both Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly looked at each other, panic reflected in both their eyes. They were ragged, worn, tired, and above all, scared, scared of what laid before them, and scared of what might happen to them if they remained too long._

_The heartless had invaded without mercy or warning, causing Ciel's greatest cities and warriors to fall almost within a fortnight. A call had been sent out to every spaceport and every man, woman and child who were able to, to evacuate the world. It was a daunting, grim, and worrisome task, but the only one available. It was either flee, or be taken._

_Both Squall and Rinoa were lifting children from an orphanage nearby onto the deck. Some of the older children looked shell shocked and pale, but they herded the younger ones and helped them sort out their meager belongings, but the little ones cried and cried, not understanding why they had to leave. More than once, Squall and Rinoa had to pry a screaming toddler from their fronts to deposit them in the capable hands of the others. Squall knew Rinoa longed to comfort the children herself, but there was no time to spare._

_Squall set yet another bag of belongings on the deck beside him, before placing the bags owner next to it. The little tyke scurried off into the shadows and both Rinoa and Squall leaned heavily against the railing, during a brief, welcome lull in the flow of children._

_"Do you think its empty by now?" Squall asked Rinoa._

_She shrugged and looked back out at the gray wreckage behind her. "Possibly. I lost track counting, but I think they got them all on board… unless they decided to empty out other orphanages, or if there's any laggers."_

_Squall looked over at the countdown. "They better hurry. There's only three minutes until the ship leaves…" He said quietly, his body tensing in preparation. His muscles ached in fatigue from being tense for so long, but he didn't allow himself to rest or relax, not until the ship was safely away._

_Rinoa crossed the small distance between them, and leaned against Squall, huddling to the warmth of his body. He let her, and stroked the hair back from her forehead, leaning against the railing fully._

_A scream from above tore them both from their temporary moment of bliss._

_"HEARTLESS!"_

_Both of them turned out toward the city, scanning for the little buggers, before spotting them swarming from building right behind a…_

_Rinoa gripped Squall's arm in a vice like hold. "Oh no…"_

_In front of the heartless, racing for the safety of the ship, were a man, his two children, and his very, very pregnant wife. They all looked crazed with fear, running for all they were worth. His father was almost dragging the smallest boy across the dirt and rocks, the elder boy running sideways, watching the fast approaching heartless._

_Squall gripped the railing, his breath caught fast in his chest. Rinoa looked at him quickly, and before he could stop her, gave him a brief kiss before vaulting over the railing onto the ground._

_"RINOA!" He yelled, nearly jumping after her. Only a brief spark of sanity stopped him, she would need someone up top to help get the family on board…_

_He watched, helpless, as she flung white shards of light toward the approaching swarm, keeping them at bay, as she herded the family toward the ship, and as the countdown got closer and closer to lift off._

_Finally they reached the side, Rinoa still flinging magic to keep the heartless well away. Squall could see it taking a toll on her, she was far paler then normal, and her hands shook slightly as she handed the little boy up to him, and then the older one. It took a lot of effort for them to boost up the woman, and almost all of Squall's strength to lift her over, but they managed it. Then the man scrambled over, gathering his family up and babbling his thanks._

_Which only left Rinoa._

**Ten**

_Squall gave a hoarse yell that was lost in the sound of the engines roaring to life, he nearly flung himself over the rail, his hand straining to reach her…_

**Nine**

_She jumped trying to reach his hands, and for a moment she touched.._

**Eight**

_But the wind buffeted her, and she plunged back down, stunned._

**Seven**

_Squall almost screamed his defiance and lifted a leg to jump over the side, but hands came from nowhere to pull him back… He looked helplessly at her as they began to rise._

**Six**

_She got to her feet and backed up, not wanting to be caught by the heat of the engines, or the over spill when they rocketed up into space._

**Five**

_Squall strained against the hands that held him as Rinoa looked at him helplessly. She put a hand on her heart and said something, but it was lost in the roar._

**Four**

_As if knowing her words were lost she pointed to herself, mouthing 'I'_

**Three**

_She put the hand back over her heart; Squall strained even more to get free._

_'Love'_

**Two**

_The jet fired up again, filling the scene with even more light. Squall saw Rinoa fall again before sitting up. Fueled by desperation, he tore free of the hands that bound him, and scrambled for the railing, getting ready to jump down. He saw a look of horror on Rinoa's face as she screamed, but he did not care. Better to die with her then to leave without her._

_Lights flared in his eyes as someone clubbed the back of his neck and sent him sprawling forward._

**One**

_Squall slammed into the railing, stunned. He felt his vision fading, but before he did he saw Rinoa mouthing one last word, tears streaming down her face._

_'Yo-'_

_There was the roar of the engines, and a bright light…_

_Squall felt helpless rage and sorrow well up within him, and hate, and anger, and despair… his world swam before him, and he was drowning in a sea of emotions without any name or descriptions…_

_And then…_

Silence.

_When Squall came too, he was laying on a bed, looking at a white ceiling. He couldn't remember where he was, or what had happened, only that he felt like he had just lost everything. When it did come back, it was like an anvil striking him square in the chest. He had never felt a pain that hurt as physically as well as emotionally, like a deep burning pain in his stomach that wormed its way up into his throat. He felt pressure building along with helpless rage, angrily; he lashed out at a nearby lamp, sending it flying across the room and breaking._

_Someone in the room gasped and he sat up, suddenly ashamed that someone had witnessed his outburst and that he might have hurt someone._

_But no, the only other occupant in the room was a girl sitting in a far bed. She was small and compact, with dark hair and eyes that were tear-stained. Her green clothes were ragged and torn, and she had multiple cuts and bruises. She looked at him warily._

_"Are you… alright?" she asked slowly, edging off her bed._

_Never, Squall said in his head, but out loud he said hoarsely. "I'm fine."_

_The girl looked like she didn't believe him for a moment, but thankfully, did not press the matter. She wrapped her blanket around her and came to sit on the bed in front of him. Squall didn't want her too, he wanted to be left alone, but could not find the energy to tell her. And part of him, a small part, welcomed the presence of another human who had obviously been through much sorrow._

_He glanced at her through his bangs. She was biting her lip and hugging her knees, one hand absently playing with her hair. Much like Rinoa used to do when they were talking… it was almost the same shade of dark brown too…_

_Squall closed his eyes and looked away, no, the memories of her were too raw and painful to think off._

_There was a long, slightly awkward pause before the girl said, "I'm Yuffie…" She studied his jacket for a long time, "…Squall Leonhart?"_

_He looked up sharply. "How do you know that name?" he asked her gruffly._

_She started in surprise and pointed at the front of his jacket. "...Nametag?" she said carefully, as if she were afraid of being wrong. Squall stood and shrugged off his jacket, putting it into the bin used to dispose of rubbish._

_"That's not my name." He said, turning away from her as the jacket slowly sunk. "My name… is Leon."_

_And then Squall, no, Leon walked out the door and down the hall as if determined to put as much distance between him and the still visible nametag that was the last of everything he wanted to forget._

Yuffie was pale by the time she finished her story and the city was quiet… the dance had worn itself out in the square.

Sora found himself lost for words, he could only grip Yuffie's shoulder and tell her a stumbling, "Sorry…"

Yuffie smiled at him again, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand before surprising Sora by giving him a hug around the shoulders. "Its fine Sora." She stood and stretched, looking at the clock. "Its late, and I tired myself out. I'm turning in, okay?" she tweaked Sora's nose. "Don't stay up too late kid, okay?"

Sora rolled his eyes as she left the room. "Yes, Mom," he said to her retreating back. She laughed and closed the door.

Sora lay back on the floor, studying the picture some more. He ran a finger along the outlines of Rinoa's and Squall's faces, forever trapped in a time where they were always together.

_Not anymore though,_ he thought sadly.

Above him, the roof creaked, and he jumped, reaching for the keyblade before remembering who was up there. Quickly, he stood and went to the window and opened it, before climbing up onto the roof and sending several tiles to the ground. He regained his balance and carefully climbed to the peak of the roof, where he could see Leon silhouetted against the moonlight. The man looked over at him sharply when he approached, his fingers gripping the gunblade handle, but otherwise he did not move.

Sora stood beside him and looked out at the square, which was rather lonely and dark now, deserted of people. He held the picture out to Leon, "Here."

Leon's face was gripped by a momentary flash of… what? Anger? Loss? Sora couldn't be sure, because a mask of indifference quickly suppressed it. Leon carefully took the picture and studied it. "Where did you get this?" he asked slowly, it was impossible to tell if he was angry.

"Your pack got knocked over," Sora lied quickly before saying. "Yuffie told me about her, Rinoa… I'm so sorry."

"It was along time ago." Leon said quietly, the frost in his voice nearly chilling Sora physically. "And I had nearly forgotten it." With a decisive jerk, he ripped the picture in half and let it go.

Sora looked up at Leon in shock, but could not find any words to say, the man's face was as cold as stone, and just as unyielding. Sora stood silent for a long time before carefully climbing back down to the window and climbing inside.

Leon watched him go and turned away, sitting roughly on the roof. He had told Sora a lie about how he had nearly forgotten about Rinoa and Ciel; the truth was far different… he felt the memory every day, the impact of it varying from being just a little tug to being almost unbearable. He rested his head against his arms, feeling the same feelings of anger and loss well up inside…

Something brushed against his brows and he looked up, startled. A part of the picture he had torn fluttered off, but he grabbed it out of the air. It was the half with Rinoa in it.

He looked at it for a long time before putting it in his inside jacket pocket, next to his heart and looking back up at the moon.

_Every memory of looking out the back door,_

_I have a photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

_Its time to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, Goodbye_

_Every memory I have of walking out the front door,_

_I got a picture of the person I was looking for,_

_Its time to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, Goodbye_

**Goodbye**

/story of man/ end


End file.
